Beautiful Jade Forest
by showeringtiger7
Summary: She was always tough; she hated vulnerability. Her heart was a smooth stone; it was unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. Love was something beyond her reach. And then he came along. He would show her that her heart was malleable; he would break through that stone and show her beauty that she never realized she had. My take on events surrounding Toph post war.
1. Spring: A Beginning Part 1

**A/N: My little take on events of the Lost Stories comics if Toph and Haru ever became a couple! Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

_"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."-C.S. Lewis_

* * *

She grew apart from them in time.

The war had ended; wonderful. It was time for peace; great. They had a huge mess to clean up; obviously. The whole "gaang" was one big happy family.

Almost.

Except for her.

It wasn't that they didn't care or anything. It was just that…well…they had all found that _significant other._ She just felt out of place around them.

Aang and Katara were just _so adorable_ as everyone kept saying. Well…everyone except for to her…and Sokka. The lovebirds gave them the "oogies", as Sokka coined it.

Sokka and Suki were…okay. She was pretty sure she'd gotten over her little crush on Sokka and her slight jealousy about Suki in time.

Mai and Zuko? Well, they were just…weird.

But it didn't matter what she thought.

Because they had all still found that significant other. And she envied them; as much as she tried to ignore it, she envied them. She wanted what they had; a companionship; a lover; whatever that meant.

Six months was enough. She couldn't take the loneliness she felt that she was only so much more aware of when she was around them. Iroh had become a great companion to her; but she didn't want to pour her heart out in that way to him. It just wasn't her.

So she grew apart from them in time.

She moved on; founded a small school; began training Earthbenders in the art of Metalbending. Teaching became her passion. It took away some of the loneliness. She enjoyed being the master to her pupils. Her friends still visited her every now and then; came to her when they needed to squash some uprising that was threatening to disturb the peace. She was still there for them and always would be. But she slowly found herself making excuses for other things; reunions with them she was absent from more often than not.

Six months became a year. A year became two years. Two years became three. She was sixteen now and she had learned that keeping loved ones at a distance was her thing. She'd had that close companionship when she'd travelled with the gaang; but that time was long since over and she was learning that maybe this was just her personality; no one was meant to get too close to her. She was a good buddy; one to rough-house and joke and laugh with; but nothing deeper than that. Her heart was closed off; and she was okay with that.

She wasn't meant to have a significant other; not even a close friend. She wouldn't let people get close and risk getting her heart bruised when they drifted away. This was her resolution.

But it would crumble when she encountered that Earthbender again.

* * *

"Lady Toph, an invitation from the Fire Palace."

It was spring; she was back home living with her parents for the time being.

A Fire Nation messenger stood before her; having asked for her from the front of her estate. He bowed before beginning.

"On behalf of Fire Lord Zuko and soon-to-be Fire Lady Mai, you are cordially invited to join in their wedding festivities three weeks from today."

She smirked, "So, those two are finally getting hitched…"

The man cleared his throat awkwardly, "Shall I send word that you will be joining them?"

She'd rather refuse; but she knew that she avoided enough get togethers that people would start getting suspicious of her. "Yes. I will be there."

He bowed again. She had to refrain from rolling her eyes, "Your escort will arrive in three days time to begin your journey to the Fire Nation," the man began to leave.

"Wait. My _what?_"

He turned to face her again, "Your…escort, my lady."

"Yes! I heard what you said! Who said anything about me having an escort?!"

"I do not know, my lady. This was just what Fire Lord Zuko told me to tell you."

"Ugh," she muttered, before straightening, "Please inform Lord Zuko that I _do not_ need an escort."

"I apologize my lady, but I was only commanded to give you the news. You will have to take that upon yourself. Have a good day," he bowed again before briskly walking off the property.

Oh, she understood. That was their subtle way of saying "Awww…poor Toph doesn't have a date. Let's find one for her."

She gritted her teeth in annoyance before all but stomping back into her house. When her "escort", whoever the heck he was, got here, she'd give him a piece of her mind. In fact, she might just disrupt the whole wedding to get back at them.

_Bunch of morons…_just because she was the youngest in the group didn't mean that everyone needed to be babying her.

He came three days later, just as the messenger said he would. She was out in the front courtyard when she sensed him approaching.

She stilled at his approach. The footsteps…seemed so familiar; as he came closer, the familiarity increased. That's right. She met him before battle on the Day of Black Sun; he'd hidden with the group when they'd fled to the Western Air Temple. She had teased Katara about having a secret fling with him. What was his name again? Haphna..? Hanook…? Ha…?

"Lady Toph!"

His voice was deeper than she remembered and as he came to stand before her she sensed that he had grown taller.

He walked up to her, a smile on his face. An awkward silence passed between them. What should she say? Should she just flat out tell him to leave? A tempting thought if it was insulting to whoever told him to come…

His heartbeat quickened ever so slightly. She sighed; he was probably wondering why she wasn't saying anything.

She coughed awkwardly, "You're…"

"Haru!" His hand moved to the back of his neck, "We didn't talk much before, but I was with you and the others back when we hid in the Western Air Temple."

She nodded, her arms crossed, "You and Duke and Teo went exploring a lot. I remember that…"

He nodded, "Yes!"

He was a lot more…chipper than she remembered him.

More awkward silence passed.

She sighed. _Might as well tell him so he can be on his way…_

"Look," she said, crossing her arms, "I don't know if Twinkle Toes or Flameo or Sugar Queen put you up to this…and honestly, I don't care…" _Cuz someone's gonna pay._

He blinked in confusion.

"I don't _need_ an escort. I can travel to the Fire Nation just fine on my own. I was hoping the messenger that came earlier would be able to tell you that, but apparently not…"

He looked down, "Oh. Well…I mean…I was hoping…" he trailed off.

She glanced away, uncertain.

"Look, I'm sorry. I would have warned you sooner, but I was just informed of these events too soon to do so." She didn't know why she was apologizing. It's not like she had asked him to come and then decided to turn him down, "So..."

He was very obviously crestfallen, so much so that she found herself slightly startled.

"Right…well…I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Lady Toph," he bowed awkwardly. "I will see you at the wedding, I suppose." He walked away, his steps not as confident as when he came; his shoulders slumped.

He basically changed into a walking disappointment in less than two minutes.

And she was perplexed. And surprisingly found herself regretting what she just said.

She sighed, "Wait." _Dammit, I'm going soft._

Haru paused in his steps and turn around.

"Look, you're already here and I can sense that it's getting late. Why don't you stay?" She paused and frowned. "…For dinner, at least."

He straightened up so quickly that she decided he was definitely moodier than Katara during her time of the month.

"Oh, really?! Thank you, Lady Toph! You are too kind!"

She cringed at the word _kind_. "Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Just come inside." She turned around and began walking inside her manor, sensing Haru following. She stopped by one of the guards in front of her door; informing him to tell the cook that the family would have a guest this evening.

She heard his slight intake of breath as they entered her expanse opening room.

"Wow," he breathed, "So this is where the Bei Fong family resides. Quite impressive."

She rolled her eyes.

Her mother then walked in, smiling as she spotted her daughter, "Ah! There you are, Toph! I was wondering…" she trailed off as she noticed the new guest behind her daughter. "Oh, hello."

She didn't miss the way her mother's heartbeat spiked ever so slightly. She could read her well and clearly knew what this meant: hopeful excitement.

Her parents were increasingly worried about her lack of interest in dating. After all, she was of marrying age when she turned sixteen. They would often try to encourage her to go on dates; attempt to set her up with many handsome, young, _rich, _(of course, that would _never_ be her parents' focus) suitors. And though she went on dates, nothing ever really picked up from them.

One night, she heard them muttering about her and wondering if, the gods forbid, perhaps she thought of _women _the way she _should _be thinking of men.

They had to pay quite a pocketful of money in renovations for the damage done to their house with her one angry stomp.

So, she knew what her mother was thinking by the excited beat of her heart: _Does she like him? Are they dating? What family does he come from? Is he rich? _(Again, that would _never_ be her parents' focus…)

"My name is Poppy Bei Fong," she said, bowing gracefully, "And…you are…?" She looked between Toph and the young man; that hopeful smile spreading across her face.

"My name is Haru," he said, bowing back politely, "Uhh…I'm…" he glanced at Toph, clearly unsure how to define their relationship. Perhaps it was good that he never had a chance.

"He's escorting me to Zuko and Mai's wedding." She blurt it out. Why she did, she would never know. Mainly to get her mom off her back, she supposed.

Although she was blind, she knew he was smiling. She also knew that her mother was slightly disappointed that he was only an escort and nothing else.

She marched away before either of them had a chance to say anything else; clearly annoyed at the predicament she got herself into and definitely not willing to admit that she screwed herself over.

* * *

As punishment for getting tricked (again, she basically did it to herself) she made him carry her things. But since she hated dresses with a passion, she made sure to only pack one in a bag, along with a few other things that he now had slung over his shoulder.

They had to journey to the coastline of the Earth Kingdom before hitching a boat to the Fire Nation Capitol. The walk would take about four days time.

She still wasn't sure about him. She barely knew the guy; they hardly talked at all during the war. She didn't really like having a companion either. It had been at least four years since she travelled with someone.

"So…Lady Toph…" he began.

She huffed, "For the last time, drop the title."

He faltered, "Right…sorry. So, what have you been up to since the war ended?"

She rolled her eyes. Spirits knew how much she _loved _small talk.

"Stuff," she said, keeping her march steady. "Squashing a few uprises, maintaining the peace of the world, teaching metalbending…" she drawled as if these matters were just as important as swatting an annoying fly. But the latter topic did catch his attention.

"Metalbending?! You're teaching it now?" He asked excitedly.

She huffed again. _Of course. He _is _an earthbender._

"Yeah. I've been teaching it for about two years now."

"You know, I never knew that something like that was possible until I met you…" His comment sounded funny to her.

"Well, isn't that nice?" she said sarcastically.

"Do you think you'd be willing to-?"

"No." She cut him off; knowing full well he was about to ask her if she could teach him how to metalbend. She sensed him stop in his tracks; thrown off by her curt response.

"Why not?!" He asked, running to match his pace with hers.

"Because."

"Because _why_?"

"Because you can't just teach anybody metalbending."

"You have a _school_. You must have taught many students."

"Yeah. That doesn't mean I can teach everyone."

"You just don't want to teach me."

Frankly she didn't. But then again, when she was annoyed, she loved to take it out on people. And he was the only one around at the moment.

"Like I said, not everyone can be taught."

"Well, what makes your students teachable?"

She faltered slightly. To be honest, the majority of her students were far less advanced in Earthbending than he was. Also, to be honest, the fastest of her students learned Metalbending in about ten months if they were the determined ones (this of course, boosted her ego since she was able to learn the skill in only a few hours time).

"They…they…were able to defeat me in battle!" Why was she blurting stuff out so much lately?

He cocked his eyebrow, "Really?" She sensed his disbelief in his tone; and that set her nerves on edge.

"Yes, as a matter of fact!" She suddenly turned (almost causing him to walk into her) and did her infamous shove-pointer-finger-into-your-face-so-you-know-I- mean-business move. "In fact, they could only be taught if they were able to get even _one hit _on me!"

She knew she was now completely lying; but something about this guy irked her. At least this way he wouldn't challenge her.

"Okay! I accept!"

Or not…?

"What?" For once her shove-pointer-finger-into-your-face-so-you-know-I- mean-business move didn't seem to be working.

"I accept. I challenge you to an Earthbending match. If I'm able to land even one hit on you, you have to teach me Metalbending."

She crossed her arms, "And if I win…?"

He shrugged, "Uhh…you _don't _have to teach me Metalbending? I'm not really sure what you would want from me."

She definitely knew what she didn't want from him; she _didn't _want to spend any more time with him than she needed to.

"Fine. If I win, not only do I not have to teach you Metalbending, you also will not escort me home!" There. That would get rid of him.

"What?" He sounded surprised and…saddened? She must have been hearing things wrong.

"You heard me," she said crossing her arms, "That's the deal."

"You don't really like me much, do you?"

What was with this guy being able to tell what was going on with her? They had been travelling together for less than two days and he was calling things out on her left and right. It was both annoying and startling her; not that she would ever admit that to him.

"That's the deal," she stated again, "Take it or leave it."

She sensed him staring at her; scrutinizing her; for what felt like a long time. She wanted to squirm. What was he looking for? Was he trying to see if she was lying? She had gotten very good at lying from seeing what people act like when they _do _lie. She had made sure to avoid all of the obvious signs of lying. So, what was he doing?

Finally, he shook his head; a soft chuckle escaping his throat, "I guess you leave me no other choice. Deal."

* * *

"I know this place."

They were walking a main Earth Kingdom road. They would hit the coastline by the afternoon on the next day. At least, she was certain of that if it weren't for him wanting to stop so much!

"Come on. We have a lot of ground to cover." She said.

"Have you ever heard of the Jade Forest?"

_Great. Another story. _"Nope. Can't say that I have."

He stopped walking, "I heard a legend about this place once," he gestured to the right of the road. In the distance, a massive forest spread, "They say that—"

"Hey, storyteller! We don't have time for this!" She stopped and turned to face his general direction, "At this rate, the wedding will be over because of all your wanting to stop every five minutes! You're supposed to be my escort. That doesn't just mean to protect. That also means to make sure I get to my destination on time!"

She turned and kept walking, not bothering to wait for him. Finally, after a few strides, she sensed him running to catch up with her.

"You're right," he said, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"You're very closed off, you know that?" She was getting pretty good at sensing when he was smiling by just the way that he spoke.

She didn't answer; just kept walking. She wanted to get away from that place. She was sensing something deep below those growing trees; a strange earth and structure that she didn't recognize. And she didn't like the unknown; even when she could feel it with her feet.

"There is something down there," she consented herself to say, "…just so you know."

Haru nodded, "How about this; if I get the privilege of escorting you back, we'll do some exploring around here."

She kept walking; more determined than ever to defeat him. It wasn't that he annoyed her anymore. She noticed he was detecting things about her that even Katara couldn't pick up on. And that scared her. She needed to keep him away.


	2. Spring: A Beginning Part 2

"So, which one of those dunderheads forced an escort on me?"

What was supposed to be the happiest day of the Fire Lord's life was becoming increasingly annoying as the short (though not as short as before) blind girl wanted her questions answered right away.

The actual ceremony had ended and the celebrations were beginning. Fire Nation traditions had big celebrations for a Fire Lord's marriage. The entire city surrounding the Fire Nation capitol was transformed into a carnival. For five days after the wedding the streets were covered in decorations, music, people in costumes, activities, special foods and fireworks would illuminate the sky each night.

Currently, it was just the gaang hanging out before the Fire Lord and new Fire Lady made their rounds around the capitol, being cheered and celebrated by their subjects.

She was currently lounging with Iroh and having tea. Everyone had sort of split up into smaller groups. Zuko and Mai were talking with Sokka and Suki (who was heavily pregnant; they had been married for almost two years). She was quite suspicious of Katara and Haru who were talking in pretty hushed tones. She was picking up on a lot of "she"s and "her"s and she felt as if they were looking in her direction every once in a while.

Iroh shrugged, "Who knows? But it couldn't have been that bad a journey, could it?"

She snorted, "You have no idea."

"No idea about what?" Aang had re-entered the room and was walking by the two.

"How I got stuck being escorted by Mr. Storyteller over there," she paused and smirked, "But I bet _you _or sifu Hotman do!"

She sensed Aang's heartbeat speed up. _Gotcha._

"Uhh…nope! Can't say that I do!"

"Twinkle Toes, you're such a bad liar that I don't even need to read your heartbeat to see that."

Iroh chuckled, "She's got you on that one."

Aang looked around nervously, trying to find a means of escape. She wouldn't give him that chance.

"You know," she said, standing abruptly, "Aren't there some air nomad style cakes out in the dining hall? Let's go grab some!" She grabbed his wrist in a steely you-aren't-getting-away-from-me grip and dragged him out of the room.

Once they were out of earshot, she let go of his wrist and crossed her arms, "Alright, Twinkle Toes. Spill. Who forced an escort on me?"

"Toph, this really isn't something I should tell—"

"Tell me, or I'll tell Katara exactly what you said that night about how you _really_ felt about her grandma feeding you sea prunes."

Aang's eyes bulged, "Sokka had me on cactus juice!"

She smirked, "I don't think Katara's gonna care. What was it you said again? Something about Kanna being a big, fat, old—"

"Okay, okay!" He said, flailing his arms, "Honestly Toph, you fight dirty."

She grinned, "That's the only way to get things done in my book. Now talk."

* * *

Her heart was pounding. Sweat seemed to be pouring from every pore in her body. Her hair was flying away at every angle. Her breathing was heavily labored.

Their battle had begun an hour after breakfast. The rules were simple: if he could get a hit on her, then he would win. The problem was she wasn't expecting him to find a loophole in that rule. She didn't think there _was _a loophole in that rule.

They had fought for a good half hour. The Earth arena that the Fire Lord had allowed them to create was in shambles; Earth jutting unnaturally in different angles. She had hit him again and again and he was not able to get a single hit on her. Finally she had gotten a strong hit to his chest; one that sent him flying back and hitting the ground.

She turned and began to walk off; happy that he would be out of her hair when she heard him call weakly.

"This fight isn't…over," she turned slightly; sensing him starting to stand up, "I still…haven't gotten…a hit…on you. The fight is still on."

She became angry. So that was how it was going to be was it? So she was going to have to beat him down to the point where he couldn't get back up. Fine. She wouldn't be throwing the nice punches anymore.

Except neither would he. That hour stretched to two, then three. By the fourth hour, Katara was becoming frantic by the sidelines; telling them that they both needed to stop before they killed each other. He was bruised, battered, bleeding and his shirt was torn so badly that he eventually let the strips of cloth fly off by the wind. She was showing the signs of physical exhaustion; but true to her word, nothing was inflicted directly by him.

Then the fifth hour came. She heard the mutterings of the group from the sidelines. Sokka had been in and out complaining of hunger. Unfortunately, despite the loud noise of the rumbles and cracks of the earth being bent to the benders' wills, she could still hear the mutterings of her friends watching them. It was moments like this that she wished her hearing wasn't so keen.

"This is getting ridiculous," she heard Katara say.

"It's been ridiculous. I've never seen a duel last this long," her boyfriend replied.

"I should intervene."

"They aren't gonna listen."

"Youm gyys waunt sm seel jrky?" Must've been Sokka with his mouth full.

"Sokka, you're such a cow-pig."

"Duh. So, why are they doing this again?" He'd swallowed his food at this point.

"Apparently if Toph loses, she has to teach Haru Metalbending."

"Oh. Hey what's going on with those two anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Doesn't Haru like Toph or something?"

There. A distraction. A major one. Few things could throw her off; but that was one. _Doesn't Haru like Toph or something?_

She focused completely on the sound she just heard; the question that there was no way she could have heard right. She couldn't escape the "what?!" that suddenly screeched from her throat; the turn of her head towards Sokka's direction. Nor could she dodge the torso-sized rock that was hurtling her way just as that stupid idiot had asked that question.

The rock hit her square in the chest and sent her flying backwards. That was it. He won. She was stuck with him. Had he not been so exhausted he would have let out a victorious shout. When she said she was the greatest Earthbender in the world, she was not putting it lightly. He didn't think he'd been so physically exhausted in his whole life.

She, however, officially decided that Zuko sucked and should never invite her to a wedding or wedding festivities ever again. She stood to her feet and glared over to where she knew they, specifically Sokka, were standing.

"Well, that was a crazy fight!" Sokka said, "Good job—" Sokka, however, didn't have time to finish as he suddenly found himself launched high in the air and crashing into a tree.

"You idiot!" She shouted, "You distracted me! You cost me the fight!" And suddenly she turned and fled into the palace.

"…What was that about?" Mai asked.

"Hmph. She's just mad that she lost the match," Sokka said from his (rather awkward looking) position in the tree.

"I don't think so," Katara said, "She usually doesn't blow up like that when she loses a fight. I'm gonna go check on her." She turned and looked at Haru who was still trying to catch his breath.

"Aang, time for you to get some healing practice in," she said, gesturing to the pretty beaten up Earthbender.

Aang grinned, "You got it, sweetie!"

Everyone (except of course his smiling and blushing girlfriend) rolled their eyes in practical unison.

Katara then took off to find the distraught Earthbender.

"So, Aang," Sokka said (still in an awkward position) from the tree, "…what did I do _this _time?"

Aang grinned as he bent water from a nearby pond into his hands and began checking over Haru's wounds, "Honestly Sokka, I'm pretty sure Toph would hurt you for _breathing _if she felt like it."


	3. Spring: A Beginning Part 3

_"What do you mean it was _**his** _idea?!"_

_Aang shrugged, "That's what I'm saying. Katara and I met up with him and he decided to tag along on our trip to the Fire Nation. I had gone to talk to Zuko about how things were going. Anyway, we found out Zuko and Mai were getting married. You know Katara. She got so excited and wanted to help the two with invitations and all that stuff. We talked about immediate friends first and when you came up, Haru just volunteered. He said he would be honored to escort you."_

_Toph crossed her arms, "'Honored' my butt. He probably just wanted to get near me so I could teach him Metalbending!"_

_Aang frowned, "That doesn't really make sense."_

_"Why?"_

_"Cuz couldn't he have just asked you here at the wedding?"_

_"Well, Mr. Know-it-all, then why did he want to escort me?"_

_"What if he just wanted to catch up with you…or even get to know you more?"_

_She snorted, "I'd expect that from you or Snoozles or Sugar Queen; not from him."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Cuz we're all good friends. But I barely talked to him during the times we were together. We hardly know each other. And people have motives that barely know other people."_

_Aang grinned, "He definitely has _a _motive. I can tell you that."_

_Her eyes narrowed, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"_

_Aang faltered, "…You really don't see it?"_

_"See what?!" She was starting to get rather annoyed. The more they talked about him, the more suspicious he seemed._

_Aang couldn't help it; he started to laugh._

_"Stop laughing, Twinkle Toes!" she shouted; punching him in the arm (which almost seemed to cause him to laugh more). Finally he was able to calm down enough to speak between chuckles._

_"Honestly Toph," he began, wiping a tear from his eye, "Sometimes I think that you truly are blind when it comes to your own life."_

_She paused. What the heck did that mean? That sounded like some proverb that Uncle Tea Bag would say. She was about to question him further when Katara and the most confusing person she'd ever met (AKA Haru) walked out into the hall._

_"There you two are!" Katara said, "Come on! We're about to follow Mai and Zuko in their rounds around the capitol."_

_Aang smiled, "Coming!" He leaned over and muttered something to her, "Why don't you try paying attention to his heartbeat when he's around you?" He then walked over to Katara and the two re-entered the room._

_He approached her, and sure enough his heartbeat was once again elevated. In fact, now that she really thought about it, it always seemed to spike whenever she got near him. She was stuck sitting next to him most of the time (since apparently the escort had to always be near the person they were escorting) and whenever he talked to her, it seemed to be pounding._

_Maybe he had some deadly heart disease that was slowly killing him. Maybe that's what they were trying to tell her. Maybe he had one last request to learn metalbending before he passed away and his dear friends knew that they just had to comply to his one request. _

_Yeah. Maybe that was it._

_"Shall we?" He asked, offering her his arm. Oh yeah. That was the other thing he liked to do since they got to the palace; link her arm in his a lot (also made his heart beat speed up a little)._

_Okay. Well maybe if that was the case, then she'd play along. So, she linked her arm in his and the two of them walked off._

* * *

_No, no, no!_

This couldn't have been right.

She didn't get far into the palace. The adrenaline that came from Sokka's question had already burned off and the weariness of fighting for five hours quickly settled in.

She collapsed against a pillar, breathing heavily.

_"You know, I never knew that something like that was possible until I met you…"_

_"What if he just wanted to catch up with you…or even get to know you more?"_

_"He definitely has _a _motive. I can tell you that."_

_"…You really don't see it?"_

_"Doesn't Haru like Toph or something?"_

Bam! Suddenly everything; his disappointment when she first rejected him as escort, his delight when she changed her mind, the comments, the spiked heartbeats, how weird he, and Katara and Aang were acting; it all made sense.

Except for one problem: that was _impossible_. She'd closed her heart and her mind off to that possibility a long time ago. The few dates she had gone on didn't end well; the men never came back. The ones that did, she quickly learned, were basically gold diggers only interested in her because of her wealth and status. And her resolution was made: she just wasn't made for that kind of thing.

Of course she wasn't! She was the biggest tomboy ever! She loved to walk around coated in Earth. Her favorite pastimes were picking her feet…and her nose…often at the same time! Her favorite (and only acceptable) baths were mud baths. She could belch like a forty-year-old man who had just drank a pint of beer. Guys were quickly turned off by that and the ones that weren't saw her more like a friend than someone to like.

Okay, maybe as a sixteen-year-old she wasn't as extreme with her gross habits as when she was a twelve-year-old. But still! Guys didn't like her. So, why in the world would Sokka ask that question?

_He probably just did it to throw me off, _she thought angrily. She swore she could've launched him into outer space.

She sensed Katara approaching. Too tired to move, she just sat there; her breathing finally under control.

"Toph," She said, taking a seat beside the distraught girl, "is everything alri-?"

"Why did Sokka say that?" She quickly cut to the chase. She had to know. She had to squash that distant feeling of hope _now_.

Katara blinked, "Say what?"

"That storyteller had a thing for me." She still refused to say his name; not even once.

"You _heard _that?"

"Funny think about being blind," she said sarcastically, "a lot of your other senses, especially hearing, get amplified."

"So, that's why you freaked out."

"Stop beating around the bush, Sugar Queen. Why did he say that? It was to throw me off, wasn't it?"

"Honestly, I don't think he or any of us were expecting you to hear that."

"Well, I did! And I know that it isn't true! So _why_ did he say it?!"

Katara stared at her, "It isn't true?"

Now it was the blind girl's turn to get thrown off, "…It is true?"

"Well, do you think it is?"

"_Spirits!" _She shouted, "_Forget _about what I think! Because lately all I've been thinking has been wrong! I _thought _one of you guys had asked him to escort me because you felt bad for me! I was wrong! I_ thought _his motive for escorting me was just to bother me about teaching him Metalbending! Wrong again! Though _apparently _he does have some sort of motive that I'm not aware of! I _thought _he always seemed to have a spiked heartbeat because something was actually wrong with his heart!"

Katara started laughing, "There's nothing wrong with his heart, silly."

"Then what the heck is going on?! No one is giving me straight answers!"

Katara paused, "I think you know _exactly _what's going on, Toph. I think you've _known _exactly what's been going on. You just don't want to admit it."

"Oh really?" She growled angrily, "And how would you figure that?"

Katara smiled, "Because not even _Sokka's _that dense."

Toph glared at the floor. She had a point.

"I know you, Toph. You can read people so well. You _know _what's going on with him."

She was quiet for a long moment, "…No. That's not it." _That can't be it._

Katara sighed, "Just as stubborn as your element," she mumbled, "Fine. Then ask him about it yourself. He's the only one that can give you a clear answer. Or at least one that you'll _believe_."

"I don't like this," Toph said.

"Why?"

Toph didn't answer. Katara sighed. In the years since the war ended, she had noticed that the blind girl had become more and more withdrawn from the rest of them. She wouldn't open up to Katara like she used to. It seemed that whenever they sent her invitations to do something, she would always send them back an excuse; her excuses appearing to get worse.

"I've missed you, you know," Katara said. "Since the war's ended, I feel like we've hardly seen you."

This was another reason she was hesitant to come; the inevitable confrontation from the all too caring Katara.

"Yeah, well…I've been busy."

Katara gave her a sideways glance, "Not that busy."

"Yes! Busy!" She snapped; she had been so irritable since this whole wedding business had begun.

"Okay, fine," Katara said bitingly, starting to get fed up by the girl's attitude, "Then _please_ tell me what you've been up to."

Again, she didn't answer, suddenly feeling that annoying lump in her throat and that prick of tears beginning to well in her eyes. Stress had been building upon her since she started her journey to the wedding and that combined with her exhaustive fight was causing her emotions to seep through. She hated that.

Katara didn't miss these signs and sighed again, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Toph, really, I've _missed _you. I don't understand what's been going on. Please tell me."

"What's been going on is you've all made me feel left out!" She suddenly shouted; two tears slipping down her cheeks.

Katara was obviously surprised by this answer, "What?"

"Oh, please! You know exactly what I'm talking about! Barely two weeks after the war ends and you all are suddenly gone on your little lovebird antics! You didn't care about me!"

Toph's loud shouts were beginning to draw attention from the servants and Katara knew that soon their friends would be wondering what all the commotion was about. After some quick coaxing, Katara led her back to where she (Katara) was staying. She had Toph take a bath, healed some bruises, and made her eat something. This all helped the girl calm down and left her feeling very tired so Katara told her to nap. By the time the girl awoke, the sun was beginning to set; it would be dinner time soon.

Toph's hair was washed and was now freely falling to her waist; it was a mess because of how she had slept on it so her motherly counterpart began to comb and braid her hair into one long braid; while she was doing her hair and sitting on the bed, the two spoke.

"Toph, I'm sorry you felt that way; I'm sorry that _we_ made you feel that way."

She sniffed, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," she said, comb fighting with a rather big knot, "If I had known, I would've made an effort to not do that as much. But I guess when you're first…" she paused.

"First what?" She asked, "First in love?"

Katara smiled (Yes, she admitted, she was still a little immature at times about her relationship with Aang), "Yes. When you're first in love, you focus on that person a lot. So much, that I guess it could be damaging to other relationships. But, Toph, why didn't you tell me? You know you could, and still can, always tell me anything."

"I don't know…" Toph said, "I guess…I just…I didn't know how to say it. It made me sad, but at the same time, you all seemed so happy. I couldn't be selfish enough to ruin that."

Katara smiled, pausing in her braid raveling to hug the girl from behind, "You're like a sister to me, you know that?"

Toph smiled, "I might as well be. We've always fought like siblings." They both laughed.

Katara finished the braid, tying a ribbon to secure it in place. Toph was dressed simply, a clean, plain, white gown hugging her gently.

"Toph, can we make a promise?"

"This isn't gonna be some dumb school girl thing where we have to link pinkies to make this official, is it?"

Katara laughed, "No. But don't grow up on me too fast. I don't want you to drift away from any of us. So, I promise to focus on our friendship more if you promise not to be so closed off."

Toph sat still for a while, "I don't know if I can keep that promise."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not the same twelve year old girl that traveled the world with you."

Katara rolled her eyes, "You're sixteen; I'm eighteen. We're still practically kids."

"Yeah, well…that doesn't mean we _haven't _changed! You've been of marrying age for two years. I'm sure Twinkle Toes is gonna pop the big question on you soon (Katara blushed madly at that)." Toph grabbed at her long braid absentmindedly, "Things are different now. Relationship focuses are changing; they've been changing. I couldn't make that promise because I'd want our friendship to be the way it was during the war; on both of our ends. But you can't be that sister that I fought with and loved at the same time anymore. Your focus right now is with Aang." A few years ago, she would've kicked herself for being so ridiculously vulnerable; but things definitely were changing. And she was actually allowing herself to verbalize just how much she cared.

Katara was stunned by what the girl had said; she always knew Toph cared but had trouble saying it. To hear her say it now…she felt tears well up in her eyes, "Toph…thank you for telling me that."

"Oh, come on!" Toph shouted, hearing Katara's tears in her voice, "This is why I don't tell you this crap; you get all weepy on me." She felt Katara embrace her again, "Stop crying, Sugar Queen! You're gonna make me start crying all over again," though she tried to make it sound like a joke, she felt tears threatening to spill over her eyes again, "If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll bury you in a rock slide and make it look like Momo did it," she half threatened.

Katara laughed and let go, leaving her hands on Toph's shoulders and truly looked over the girl since she got there. Toph had indeed changed a lot, not only in attitude, but in appearance. Her slightly puffy baby face had sharpened, her dull eyes had taken on a lovely, almost silvery sheen. Her skin was slightly darkening, leaning away from its ivory color and leaning more towards olive. She was blossoming indeed.

"You've become quite a beauty these past four years," Katara said, smiling.

Toph snorted (that was really becoming a bad habit), "Yeah, right."

"I'm not the only one who thinks that."

"Oh, really," Toph mused, "And who else?"

As if on cue, a soft knock came to the door. Because Toph was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her sight became "muffled" between the ground, the bed, and her feet. So, she didn't recognize who it was until Katara greeted him at the door.

"Hello, Haru!"

"Hello, Katara," Haru said smiling, "I was just wondering if you'd seen…" He trailed off, his eyes shifting beyond Katara and seeing the blind girl sitting on the bed. He'd only seen her hair in that giant bun since they started travelling together. Seeing it in that long braid was absolutely beautiful.

"Toph," he said, "You look…"

She slid off the bed and the second her feet hit the floor, she honed in on his clear heartbeat (once again, elevated).

"What are you doing here, storyteller? Are you here to rub it in my face that you beat me?" The bite in her tone was obvious.

"Actually, I'm here to inform you two ladies that dinner is served. And I'm _your _escort, Toph. So I'm here to escort you to dinner." He said, unfazed by her previous comment.

"You take this escorting thing _way _too seriously," she said, crossing her arms.

"Well, did you ever stop to think that maybe being escort isn't my only intention for being around you so much?"

She suddenly felt her face heat up and angrily turned away. But she still refused to believe it; even though all signs were practically pointing to him having feelings for her. Nothing could be that good for her.

Katara awkwardly cleared her throat, "Haru, wait for us down the hall. We'll be out in a second." When Katara ushered him out the door, Toph could've sworn she heard her mutter…was she giving him _advice?_

"I don't like that guy," Toph grumbled when Katara came back in and closed the door.

"You don't like that guy, or you don't like how he's making you feel?" Katara said, smiling.

"Oh no," Toph said, "Don't even go there. I never said I liked him."

"True," Katara said, opening the door for the blind girl out into the hall, "And you never said you _didn't _like him, either."

He waited for them at the end of the hall, once again extending his arm to her. She didn't know why she took his arm again, but she did. Katara walked on ahead of them, in search of Aang.

"I never told you in the room," he said quietly, "You look beautiful this evening."

She blushed again (seriously, what was up with her? She was in the Fire Nation for less than two weeks and she was acting like a stupid little school girl).

She didn't need to check his heartbeat; she knew he wasn't lying.

And for once, she didn't have a witty comeback.

* * *

A ball was being held; it was one last big hurrah of the Fire Lord's marriage, as well as a simple celebration for the heroes that helped end the war before they left.

There was food and dancing galore. She'd never seen so many feet move in such graceful steps; but she herself didn't like to dance, so she stuck to the side tables, nibbling on food, occasionally mingling with some guests that recognized her.

She wore a gift Katara had given her. She had been forced to go shopping with the girl to prepare for the big evening (though, she admitted, she didn't hate it as much as she used to. Only because she got to spend time with her friend). She was wearing a simple green gown; but she noticed it was earning some glances her way.

Through the dancing feet, she could sense Katara and Haru standing near each other, probably talking. She had grown highly suspicious of them in the past few days; wondering if Katara was telling him everything that she had spilled out to her.

She leaned against the table, wondering what was happening when suddenly Haru turned and began walking towards her; she found herself feeling anticipation as he walked over to her. He greeted her and leaned against the table next to her, crossing his arms.

"This is some party, huh?" He had to talk louder over the music and the crowds.

"Eh. I've been to better."

Haru gave her a sideways glance, "Really?" Once again, disbelief in his tone. They fell into silence, watching as the dancers picked up tempo with the music.

"Well, I bet those parties didn't have crazy dances like this!" He said, fascinated by the graceful movements of the people.

"Psh. This is child's play. There are much cooler dances than these."

Haru smirked, "I bet _you _couldn't dance half as good as these people." Once again, he'd struck a nerve.

"Ha!" she laughed, challengingly, "I could take these chumps to school! I bet _you_ don't know half of these moves!"

"Is that so?" Haru challenged, before offering her his hand, "Shall we? Of course, if you're too much of a chicken-pig, I completely understand."

Toph smirked, thrusting her hand into his, "I prefer the term 'rooster-hog.' And you are _so _on."

They jumped into the dance floor, quickly picking up on the tempo and matching it; jumping, leaping and spinning at high energy paces. Toph did hate dancing, but she had had many manners forced upon her, including how to dance. Most people couldn't keep up with her, but Haru was quite a surprise. Every spin she executed, he was there to catch her; every leap, he caught her, every dip, he brought her _low._

The other dancers quickly slowed down until it was just the two Earthbenders dancing around each other; they had brought on quite an audience. Everyone was cheering their dancing and finally, the music slowed, ending with him dipping her once again. Applause erupted from everyone around them, but she didn't seem to notice. All she did notice was him, how close he was to her; and for some reason, Katara's comment kept playing in her head over and over again.

_"And you never said you didn't like him, either."_

He slowly lifted her and the music changed to a very slow tempo song. He danced her around much slower and all the while she couldn't help but think, how did she feel about him? Lately she found herself wondering where he was; looking for his familiar footsteps or his heartbeat whenever she entered a room. They still didn't speak much when he escorted her places, but she was finding herself more drawn to his presence than anything else.

She still wasn't ready to go down that road, knowing sooner or later that something would go wrong; but it was nice now. Doing things just like this, dancing with a rather handsome Earthbender (though she couldn't see him; she guessed he was handsome because of how many young girls' hearts seemed to flutter around him). She liked this slow dance; being able to catch her breath and even being bold enough to let her head rest against his shoulder.

_"Well, did you ever stop to think that maybe being escort isn't my only intention for being around you so much?"_

She was becoming too hopeful too quickly; starting to wonder if she was interested in him or if she was interested in the fact that he seemed interested in her. She didn't want to string him along; yet she didn't want him to become interested in someone else. She had made a resolution long ago to not become hopeful; because every time she did, something went wrong; that person was not who Toph thought they were. Yet, here she was, spending a little over a month with a guy that she still barely knew and she found her resolution beginning to crack.

Well, screw it, she could at least say she was having fun with him; even if they were nothing more than friends (she wasn't even sure if she could call him a friend yet).

"…You lead well," she muttered to him.

He smiled as he continued to slow dance her around, "I think that's the first compliment you've ever given me."

She blushed, "Yeah, well, I don't give those out every day, so consider yourself lucky."

His smile widened, "I think I will."

She put her head down, hiding her intensified blush from his eyes. He had some hold over her; but her stubbornness refused to admit what she already knew it was.

* * *

Katara smiled as she watched them from the other side of the room. Haru had come to her often since admitting his attraction to the young girl. He was seeking advice on how to show it to her.

"Well, it looks like your advice is working," Her boyfriend said from beside her.

She shook her head, "It does, but you know Toph. She's as stubborn as a zebra-mule. I think she likes him, but she just won't admit it."

Aang put his arm around her shoulders (it was still strange to her how much taller he had grown), "Well, at least he got her to dance with him! How'd you get him to do that?"

Katara smiled, "You and Toph are sometimes polar opposites. It takes a lot of encouragement to get you to do things sometimes, my love. But Toph will fall for a dare almost every time."

Aang laughed, "So that's what you told Haru to do."

As Haru continued to dance the girl around, he looked up, making eye contact with Katara. The gratefulness in his eyes was pretty evident. Katara gave him a small smile.

"Yes. And it worked; she fell for it. Hook, line and sinker."


	4. Spring: A Beginning Part 4

They stood on the docks; a boat prepared to take them back to the edge of the Earth Kingdom so that they could begin their journey home.

She hated goodbyes more than anything; if ever there was a time her emotions would show, it was now; when they all had to go their separate ways. It was an almost stinging reminder that things definitely were not the way that they used to be. Their family had been split apart for a while now; each of them had gone their separate ways.

Mai and Zuko wished them all well; telling them to come visit often and that the Palace was always open to them when they wanted to stop by.

Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki were heading back to Kyoshi Island. Katara wanted to be there for the birth of her niece or nephew so she decided to stay there for the remainder of Suki's pregnancy (which was winding down to mere weeks).

And she and Haru were heading back towards her home; so she could, as promised, begin to teach him Metalbending. There was embracing, goodbyes, some tears (mostly from Katara), and promises to meet up again soon.

Katara approached her and gave her an affectionate hug, "Don't disappear from us so much. I _will _see you again soon," she released her and placed her hands on her shoulders before glancing at Haru, "…and take it easy on him."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Katara gave her a knowing smile before hugging her again, "You know what it means."

She released her before stepping up to Haru and giving him a hug as well, whispering one last piece of advice, or moreover, one last request before they parted: "Take care of her for me."

And Katara knew she heard her.

* * *

"Legend has it; this forest blessed the ancient Earthbenders and helped them claim victory for this Kingdom."

The two sat across from each other; a campfire sitting in between them. They had journeyed back to that forest just as Haru had promised since he won the match. They sat at the forest's edge; deep enough to be among the trees but close enough to still be near the road.

"All we've known is the most recent war, the Hundred Years' War. But there were many others before; benders were different centuries ago. They had different interests and intentions."

She lay back, listening quietly to the story; all the while, her feet were going crazy. She could sense things down there. Now that they were actually in the forest, she was even making out moving, most likely living, things down there. But everything was so deep that she couldn't get a clear image.

"The Fire Nation is not the first nation that has tried to take more than its fair share of the world. Sadly it probably won't be the last."

"Get to the story already," she said.

He rolled his eyes, "Just trying to give a little historical background. Anyway, the Earth Kingdom was already mapped out, except for this land; this massive forest." He stretched his arms out for emphasis.

"The people of the Earth Kingdom claimed this land as theirs; but they weren't the only ones that wanted it. The Air Nomads coveted this land as well; they desired to build a temple here; one that was mostly below ground. And interests clashed."

"Wait, are you telling me that the _Air Nomads_ wanted to get into a fight?!" She asked, shocked, "Weren't they all for peace and prosperity and stuff? Wasn't that why it was so easy for them to be defeated?"

Haru shrugged, "Like I said, interests were a lot different back then. Some say that the Air Nomads became peaceful because of this great battle. Legend says that this battle lasted forty days and forty nights. In this time, the Earth people were severely cut down. We should have lost the battle."

"So, what happened?"

He smiled as he watched the campfire flicker, "During the times of the battle, Earth priests were constantly praying to the Spirits to help them be victorious. And on the morning of the forty first day, the Spirit of this forest answered them. Like I said, we should have lost, but on that morning, the Spirit came and amplified their weapons. No one knows exactly how, but they claimed victory that very afternoon; even though all signs pointed to the Air Nomads winning."

"So, all of this happened here?"

Haru nodded, "The scars of battle have long since healed. There are huge patches where trees were uprooted and haven't grown back quite yet."

"Whatever happened to the Spirit of this place?"

He shrugged, "The spirits can be rather fickle. Some say the Spirit still resides here, but no one can see it because they don't know how. Others say it left; disgusted by the way humans battle."

"Huh," She said, "And what do you think?"

He grabbed a stick and poked absentmindedly at the fire, "I think that it's still here. My father told me that Spirits challenge us to see things differently. I think it's still here; but I think we have to find it by more than just seeing with our eyes."

"Why do they call this place the Jade Forest anyway?"

"It's the green plants around here; from the leaves of the trees to the grass. Everything has this beautiful jade green color to it. Some even call this place the Ruby Forest during Autumn because of the ruby red color the leaves of the trees turn."

Toph smirked, "Too bad I only know what Jade feels like."

There was silence between them for a few minutes; nothing but the noises of the creatures of the night. But she could tell there was something still unsaid; some question that he wanted to ask her.

"So, Toph," He finally said, "What do you see around here?"

Her eyes narrowed, "_That's _why you brought me here?"

He smiled a little shyly and shrugged, "Just trying to tell what's legend and what's history. And you did tell me you saw something, remember?"

"Hmph. Yes, I did. And I can tell you one thing: whatever help they got probably didn't come from above ground."

"Oh, really," He said, "What makes you say that?"

"There is definitely something big below us, and it's deep so I can't make it out clearly. I even think there might be some kind of creatures down there; but they're so deep I can't figure out what they are."

Haru looked down at the ground, as if trying to see through its dirt and minerals to locate the secret beneath, "We should go explore down there."

The blind girl plopped, rather unceremoniously, onto her back, "You can do all the exploring you want, storyteller. Me, on the other hand, I'm going to sleep." She bent a rock tent around her to emphasize her point.

He smiled, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe we can look tomorrow." He found as comfortable a position as he could and fell asleep.

However, not even three hours later, he suddenly found himself launched into the air and falling back to the ground _hard_. He groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing his head.

"Never mind! We're finding out what this thing is right now!" The blind girl (whom he quickly discovered was also responsible for his air borne awakening) stated loudly, already standing up and studying the ground.

"Wh-what?" He asked, rubbing his eyes rapidly, very much wanting to go back to sleep.

"I can't sleep. Whatever's down there is making my feet go crazy. I keep picking up on stuff. So, I decided if I'm not gonna be able to sleep, then I might as well find out why." She then bent a crater-like hole a little ways from their campsite.

"And why do I have to come _now_?" He asked sleepily.

She continued to bend the hole deeper and deeper, "It's gonna take me forever to get even close to the structure down there. Together, I'm sure we can cut that time in half."

Haru grinned, "So, does that mean you're _asking_ me for help?"

She responded by launching a large rock at him. He laughed, easily dodging it before running to the tunnel she was creating.

Together, they bent that tunnel deeper and deeper towards the mysterious structure that she was seeing. They were quiet for most of the time, focusing on bending the tunnel deeper and deeper. It felt like they were at it for hours and Haru was soon becoming exhausted. He was about to ask Toph if they were any closer before she suddenly froze midstance. However, he did not notice this and was about to will the Earth to be pushed deeper when she suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No! Wait!" She hissed, "Something's coming our way through the Earth."

He paused, and in the silence of their Earth movement he became aware of another faint rumbling coming from somewhere below them. It was slowly becoming louder and louder, closer and closer. All the while, Toph's face was contorted in concentration. However, he couldn't see any of this. The dim glow of the stars had long since faded. He hadn't yet learned to see the way she saw; so currently all that he was relying on was that restraining hand on his shoulder, silently telling him to wait.

But as the rumbles increased, so did his nervousness. Until finally…

"Toph, don't you think we should _move_?"

But she hadn't heard what he said, realizing in that instant what the mysterious creature was. Her eyes suddenly widened,

"I know what these are!" She said, "They're—"

But she didn't get the chance to finish what she was saying as suddenly a large _something _broke through the earth beneath their feet. It brushed roughly against them and it was then that he realized that it was a body; some huge creature. He was having trouble thinking because there was so much dirt and debris falling on top of them from the large creature's entrance. Before he had a chance to register further, the creature bore a hole through the opposite wall of their tunnel and continued its digging and the ground beneath their feet shifted and abruptly gave way; causing the two to slide down the tunnel the creature had created.

In the darkness, he found her hand and instinctively gripped it as they continued to slide. However, she had a better grip on what was going on and quickly used her Earthbending to slow the two of them down.

"Wh-what was _that_?!" He asked, rather shaken.

She grinned, "_Badgermoles; _There are badgermoles down here! I can sense hundreds, maybe even thousands of them!"

His eyes widened, "And the structure…?"

She shook her head, "I'm not completely certain yet, but I think it may be a series of tunnels they've been digging. And let me tell you, it's _big_."

"How big?"

"Hmm…you know Omashu?"

"Sure."

She grinned, "It's a tiny village compared to _this_."

* * *

They had continued following the tunnel the badgermole had created downwards.

"How long have we been going?" He asked, completely exhausted, "It must be morning by now."

"Quit complaining, storyteller! We're too deep. We can't turn back now," She said, determinedly.

He frowned, wishing they could slow down before suddenly he saw a faint glow; bright enough to illuminate the rest of the tunnel to them.

"What? What is that?" He asked, as the light slowly became brighter.

"What's what?" She asked, turning suddenly, trying to see with her feet what only one could see with their eyes. Taking charge, he moved in front of her. It was then that he noticed that their hands were still intertwined. He couldn't help but smile slightly at that.

As if sensing his thoughts, she suddenly pulled her hand out of his; a faint blush on her cheeks (which he could see from the glow). "What do you see?"

"There's a glow down there. Possibly…sunlight?" He squinted as they came closer, "No…it isn't sunlight. It's too…green to be sunlight."

"Thanks for the color distinction, storyteller. That totally helps," she said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. Basically, whatever that light is, it isn't coming from outside."

She smirked, "That's better, storyteller."

He frowned, "I have a name, you know. It's _Haru_."

"Yeah…" She said, somewhat slowly, "I know…"

"So, why won't you say it—?" He was cut off as they made it to the bottom and the glow was revealed.

He breathed in, awed by the sight before him. A giant cave stretched before them and the glow was coming from the walls. Crystals appeared to illuminate the cave so brightly that it almost seemed as clear as day; though everything was tinted slightly green.

"Wow," he said, "This place is amazing!"

She was in awe herself. Standing in that cave helped her see that this structure of tunnels and caves was _incredibly_ massive; three Omashus could probably fit in this area easily. She placed her hand along the wall, feeling the cave and feeling the tunnels that connected this cave to others.

"This place is huge," she said, suddenly feeling slightly overwhelmed. She removed her hand and turned back toward him, "And there aren't only badgermoles down here. There's an entire ecosystem of animals that live here!"

He smiled at her, taking a moment to enjoy her huge smile she held on her face. True, he was exhausted from the journey down there. But seeing her face lit up like that was worth it.

"It's like…we've entered a completely different world," she said. He nodded in agreement before walking over to inspect the crystals against the wall.

"I've never seen anything like this," he said, running his finger along a glowing crystal, "What kind of crystal do you think this is?"

She walked over to where he stood, placing her hand on the crystal and, much to his surprise, yanking it out of the wall. Suddenly, out of the slot came many fireflies.

"What the…?" He asked, looking into the slot and then up to the floating bugs above head, "A bunch of fireflies came out."

Toph pressed her hand against the wall, "They're so small and light, I can barely see them. But it looks like they're behind all of these gems."

Haru raised his eyebrow, "Gems? I thought they were crystals."

She tossed him the stone, "Take a look again. The glow you see coming from down here is most likely from these fireflies. But I know what that is. I come from a wealthy family, remember? I know precious stones when I feel them. That isn't a crystal…"

He ran his fingers along the smooth, green stone that was no longer glowing and his eyes widened in realization, "…It's jade."

She grinned, "Bingo," she paused and crossed her arms in thought for a moment.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'll bet…" she began, before suddenly stomping her foot on the ground and bending a fairly large chunk of the cave wall out towards them.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at the big stone she had just bent out of the cave wall. It looked like mere stone; nothing out of the ordinary.

She smirked at him, "Do me a favor. Break this stone in half."

He looked at her in disbelief for a few moments before she rolled her eyes, "Just do it, storyteller."

Finally, he conceded, using his bending to crack the stone right down the middle. When it opened there was jade. So…much…jade. His eyes widened as he stared at it.

Her smirk widened, taking his silence as shock, "Yup. And there's much more where that came from. These walls are covered with it!"

* * *

Jade wasn't the only stone down there, as it turned out (though it was the most common). Following the tunnels that led to other caves, the two quickly discovered rubies, sapphires, emeralds, even diamonds. Practically every precious stone known to man resided in those caves.

"Toph, we could be the richest people in the world if we sold these jewels! Some of those diamonds are bigger than my fist!"

She was silent for a moment, contemplating something. Suddenly a badgermole appeared through the tunnel and approached her; slowly; cautiously. She held out her hand to it and it hesitantly sniffed her hand. Apparently deeming her okay, it allowed her to rub its nose.

"We aren't gonna tell _anyone _about this place," She said finally.

He looked at her in confusion, "Toph…?"

"I am a noblewoman, storyteller," She said, continuing to pet the animal's nose, "I've been around the rich and wealthy all my life. I've seen what greed can do to people. They would destroy this land…and these animals to get to the jewels."

She looked his way in determination, "We don't tell anyone. This place will be our secret."

He looked at her for a while before a slow smile crept on his face, "Okay. But on one condition."

She quirked her eyebrow, "What is it?"

"You have to come back here to explore with me every once in a while."

She rolled her eyes (he didn't miss the faint blush blooming on her cheeks), "Fine," she grumbled.

The badgermoles were friendly, especially with Toph. He'd never interacted with them before and she told him of how she learned earthbending from them. It was them who helped her learn how to see with her feet when she was blind.

He stared at her as she retold her story, awed by her.

"So, you taught yourself metalbending and you mastered earthbending from _badgermoles?_" He asked, "Wow, Toph. You really are incredible."

She smiled a little, turning her head away shyly. His affect on her was becoming more and more obvious. And she knew he was catching on.

"I still can't believe we found a place like this," she said, rubbing the badgermole.

"I guess we were right. You really can't _see_ this place with your own eyes. Maybe this legend was giving us clues; the only way we could find the spirit…or the treasure…" suddenly his eyes widened in realization as he looked down at the jade stone he still held, "The jade…"

"What is it?" She asked.

His face broke into a smile, "If I remember correctly, this battle supposedly took place around the time that the Fire Nation first discovered using steel weapons. Back then, they loved to trade with the Airbenders, so I'm sure they received steel weapons quickly. I heard steel helped Airbenders focus their bending style. Steel was something that we couldn't fight against. But jade…"

She quirked an eyebrow, "Are you telling me the same thing we use so preciously as _jewelry_ now was actually used for _weaponry_ before?"

He smiled, "Jade is tough. Use any other precious stone and it will shatter very easily. But jade is strong. I heard that when it was more common Earthbenders used to fashion it into swords, axes and all kinds of other weapons. So, the aid that the Spirit of the forest gave them must have been jade."

He looked at her and the badgermole, which was clearly enjoying her affections, "And I'm sure there were badgermoles around to help with the battle too."

The creature grunted in response, as if happy to be acknowledged.

Toph smirked, "Well, what do you know? Looks like your story wasn't so much of a story after all. Maybe I should change your nickname to historyteller."

He rolled his eyes, "How about calling me by my actual name?"

"Nah," she said, smirking, "I prefer nicknames."

"You call the others by their real names."

"Yes. And I _also_ call them by their nicknames."

"You've never said my real name. Not once."

"Why is it so important to you?"

"Because, where I come from, calling someone by their real name means a lot. It's the first sign of chivalry, of friendship. Maybe even of something more…"

"Are you implying there's something between us?"

"Are you implying there isn't?"

"…" She glowered. It was pretty clear he and Katara were talking. They both seemed to love answering questions with more questions. She crossed her arms and angrily looked away.

He smiled, "Didn't think so."

"Oh, can it!" She shouted.

His smiled widened, "I think I'm starting to understand you, Toph."

"You don't know anything about me," she grumbled.

"Don't I?" He asked, slowly closing the distance between the two of them, "Let's see. Sarcasm is your second language, you love to be tough and independent, you really enjoy spicy foods, you really didn't like me at first but I think you've started to warm up to me," he said, smiling. He stopped his approach, standing right in front of her, "And when you're caught in the middle of something you can't deny, but don't want to admit, you stay silent and angry…just like right now."

She slowly turned her eyes to look at him. His breathing seemed steady, but once again, his heartbeat was elevated. He wasn't lying…he was nervous. He was very good at keeping his voice steady, but she could tell that he was anticipating her response to him. But she didn't know what to say. Everything he had just said about her was head on. Especially when it came to how she felt about him. She was still afraid; worried that she was reading him wrong.

_"Then ask him about it yourself. He's the only one that can give you a clear answer. Or at least one that you'll believe."_

There was Katara's voice; popping into her head again. She had been avoiding that topic since Katara had brought it up. And now here it was; she might as well just get it over with. So she could stop wondering about it. So…

"…Why did you want to escort me to the wedding?"

His nervousness began to show a little; he let out a shaky breath and his heart seemed to pound even more (if that was even possible). He began inching closer to her; she could feel his breath on her face. She could smell his scent. She began to tremble when she felt his fingers brush her cheek.

"I think you know why, Toph."

He began to move his face closer to hers; his mind reeling. He wasn't completely sure what he was doing or why he was suddenly deciding to throw caution to the wind. He just knew that his feelings for her were going stronger every day he spent with her. He wanted to show her.

But just as their lips were about to meet, the badgermole suddenly barreled into Toph, which in turn caused her to barrel into him. Her forehead slammed into his nose and they both fell onto the ground; her falling on top of him. The badgermole, apparently spooked, suddenly began digging through the floor and down into another tunnel.

"Ow," Haru groaned, holding his nose. Thankfully it wasn't broken; though it seemed to be bleeding a little.

"You're telling me. What's your nose made of? Rock?" She said, holding the place on her forehead that had connected to his nose. She slowly sat up and realized that some small bag had fallen (she was guessing out of his pocket) when they fell.

"What is that?" She went to grab it and his eyes widened slightly.

"Toph! Wait, that's…"

She grabbed the bag and something fell out, making a small clanging sound as it hit the ground. She picked it up and felt it. It was a coin. At least, it _was _a coin. It had been majorly distorted from…well, the only thing that could really do that to something was someone who could…

No.

She practically felt her heart leap to her throat, digging through the bag; finding many other distorted coins. Some in the bag weren't touched. She pulled one out and held it in one hand; feeling its perfect cylindrical shape. She then grabbed a distorted coin and bent it back into shape; feeling how easy it was to follow the way back from its distorted shape to its cylindrical shape. And the pieces fell together.

"You know how to metalbend." It wasn't a question.

Haru pinched the bridge of his (still sore) nose, "Yes…I picked up on it."

"When?"

He remained silent, not able to look at her.

"_When_ did you pick up on metalbending?" She demanded. Her shock was slowly turning into anger.

He sighed, "It was an accident, actually—"

"No!" She suddenly snapped, jumping to her feet, "Metalbending is not like earthbending! You don't just accidentally learn it when you trip or stomp your foot a little too hard! It takes intense concentration to first learn it so you were _deliberately_ trying! Now, I'm going to ask nicely one more time: When. Did. You. Learn. Metalbending?" She growled, glaring at him.

He looked at her before answering slowly, "I taught myself on the journey to your home."

Her eyes widened, "Then why? Why did you want to fight me?"

He still remained silent. And suddenly she became suspicious of everything that had happened since she journeyed with him to the wedding. Why was he being so kind to her? Was it to get her guard down? Did he want something from her? Was he somehow able to make his heartbeat speed up to make her think he actually had feelings for her?

And then part of her felt crushed. How could she have been so stupid? He was playing her some way and she was too stupid…too hopeful to realize it. But he had played her well; better than any of the other suitors. She was able to brush them off…but him, she felt tears threatening to spill over because he had played her. Somewhere along the way, she had let her defenses down enough to where he could get into her heart a little. And she had to expel him from there now.

"I lied about students having to fight me before they learned metalbending!" She shouted.

"I know you did—"

"Then _why_? Why the hell did you accept that deal?! You could've just argued with me until I caved! Especially since you apparently _know _me so freaking well! Why did you do it?! Was it so you could humiliate the 'Greatest Earthbender in the World' by defeating her—?"

"Toph, it's not like that at all—"

"Or was it so you could force me to help you find this place?!" She paused, shock evident on her face, "No…is that it?" She asked, her voice dangerously low.

"You knew no one could find this place except me, didn't you?! So, is this some get-rich-quick scheme?! Are you going to tear this place apart, destroy the land and kill all the animals for fortune?! Are you going back on your promise?!"

"No!" He shouted angrily, jumping to his feet and getting into her face.

"Then _why_?!" She shouted back at him, her face turning red from her loud talking.

"You are _so infuriating_!" He threw his hands up in frustration, "I have never met anyone as suspicious as you!"

"Well, I have a right to be! Tell me, dammit! Tell me why!"

"Because you gave me an offer I couldn't refuse!"

She faltered; her angry face turning to shock, "What?"

"I barely know how to metalbend! I can just make small things change shape. Nothing major like you can! I wanted to learn from you. I knew you were lying that day and I could've talked you into it. But then you decided to say that if I lost I couldn't escort you home. And guess what? I didn't want that."

Her mouth was agape as she stared at him, "So…so you fought me because…"

He crossed his arms and looked away angrily, "I did it so I could escort you home…I did it because I wanted to spend more time with you."

* * *

The late morning sun greeted them as they broke to the surface of the forest. She closed off the last of the evidence of their tunnel before all but collapsing on the ground, absolutely exhausted. He sat down too, equally tired. They had barely slept at all last night and decided to sleep most of the day before continuing their journey.

They hadn't spoken much since he basically admitted how he felt about her. He was still a bit sore at her for accusing him of such outrageous acts and she was ashamed for doing so (even though she refused to admit it).

She lay on the ground, waiting for sleep to overtake her but her mind was reeling; and everything was reeling about him. She still couldn't believe it; here was someone that actually genuinely cared about her and genuinely liked her. And she…well, maybe she…

And then she fell asleep.

* * *

They would be home in a day and she found herself dreadfully anticipating when that time came. Because what would happen when his time escorting her was over? Would he leave and never come back? Would she only see him when Aang and Katara tried to coordinate reunions? She had been realizing more and more lately just how much she enjoyed spending time with him. Though she hadn't been enjoying it recently because they had hardly spoken since they left the forest and she hated the silence; she hated that he was mad at her; and she didn't know what to do.

He walked on ahead; not glancing back at her, not doing anything really but walking. She knew he wasn't going to break the silence, so she decided to be bold and do it herself:

"So…so what happens when we get to my home? Do you just leave?"

He stopped walking and she stopped behind him; her own heartbeat elevating in anticipation. He turned and looked at her.

"Well…a lot of that is going to depend on you, isn't it Toph?" He then turned and kept walking.

And she understood; surprisingly she understood. Their whole journey there, he had been laying his heart on the line; he had allowed herself to be vulnerable with her while she tried to maintain a wall.

And now he had done all he needed to do and said all that he needed to say. Now it was her turn. Would she allow herself to be that vulnerable?

Hours later as they walked, she gave him an answer; she gave him an answer that revealed two things:

"I…I would like it if I saw you again soon…Haru."

First, it revealed that she had feelings for him.

Second, it revealed that he knew that she had feelings for him.

* * *

End Spring


End file.
